Shedding mechanism for looms



March 30, 1937. F. w. PRESTON SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed March12, 1936 couture-l C II) 1 INVENTOR,

Ban/r PY-S0A ML. ATTORNEY.

V Patented Mar. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEDDING MECHANISMFOR LOOMS I Frank W. Preston, Paterson, N. J. Application March 12,1936, Serial No. 68,365

I 7 Claims.

This invention relates to shedding mechanism for looms and particularlyto jacquard machines and it has for its object to provide in suchmachines for the possibility of lifting threads of the warp not only toa plane which will cause one shed to be formed but to a higher plane sothat a more elevated shed may also be formed. Whereas the improvementsmay 'be incorporated in a jacquard machine initially, they are herein sodevised that they may be incorporated in existing jacquard machineswithout extensive or expensive alteration thereof. The improvements, aswill appear to those skilled in the art, make possible variousadvantages in weaving, among which is that of weaving two fabrics byapproximately the same weaving operation as and in substantially thesame time now required for the weaving of a single fabric, notably ofthe narrow-ware class. By the terms lifter, lift, 9 lifting, or liftedherein anywhere used I do not wish to be limited to upward motion sinceI mean thereby to include such motion as involves displacing the warpthreads (in order to form the sheds) in a given direction from the planethey normally tend to assume.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, somewhat diagrammatic, of a jacquard machineand shows the present improvements;

Fig. 2 .is a section on line 2-2, Fig. 1, of the auxiliary hook-liftingstructure, with fragments of a row of hooks and the corresponding knifein elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 1, of the means whereby motion istransmitted to such structure;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44, Fig. 2, and shows fragments ofa knifeand hook and a hook-lifter; Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a weavingoperation possible by the invention, the view being transversely of thewarp; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a modified construction.

Let I be the frame of any jacquard machine mounted as usual on supports2; 3 the usual knife frame having the knives 4; 5 vertical shafts towhich the knife frame 3 is aflixed and being guided to move verticallyin the frame I and forming with such knife frame what I term the mainhook-lifting structure; -6 one of two levers (or it may be one of thearms of a forked lever) which are rocked in unison from any going partof the loom and which are adapted to reciprocate vertically'said mainhook-lifting structure, being connected to the shafts through links I; 8the other support 9 of frame I and capable of tilting thereon to theleft, otherwise having their catching portions or hooks proper 8aoverhanging the knives so that the hooks may be lifted by the knives; I0the needles suitably guided in the frame I to move horizontally andrespectively connected with the hooks (as by having loops Illa receivingthem) sothat when any needle is moved to the left (it being understoodthat the needles are normally held against such movement, as by springs,not shown, it will tilt the corresponding hook to the position to clearthe knife adapted to lift the same; I I the card cylinder adapted to beturned a quarter-turn and then moved toward the needles previous to eachrise of said main hook-lifting structure by means not shown but wellknown in the art; and I2 the cards carried by the cylinder and punchedaccording to a given pattern so that, when the card cylinder is movedtoward the needles, the card then presented thereto will shift some ofthe needles and, corresponding hooks to the left to clear theknivesaccording to the punching of such card. To each hook is connected a cordI 3 which in turn is connected to-and so is adapted to lift some threadof the warp, such cords being shown dotted for a purpose to appear.

According to the invention I provide an auxiliary hook-lifting structurewhich preempts the main hook-lifting structure in its hook-liftingfunction with respect to but some of the whole complement of hooks andwhich is moved to lift such hooks to a greater extent than the mainhook-lifting structure; preferably it comprises a grid or other frame inwhich there are hooklifters capable of being positioned therein each tolift some particular hook or hooks. This auxiliary hook-liftingstructure undergoes hook-lifting motion on each such motion of the mainhooklifting structure, and this I accomplish, according to the presentexample, through means actuated from such main hook-lifting structure,though it may be otherwise accomplished. I

In the example a fixed frame I4 is mounted on the frame I and formstherewith what I term the fixed supporting structure and the shafts 5are prolonged upwardly and guided in frame I4. The auxiliaryhook-lifting structure includes a grid I5 penetrated by and adapted toslide vertically on said shafts. Such auxiliary hook-lifting structurealso includes hook-lifters I6. Each of the latter may occupy, as stated,any of various posi; tions on the grid so that it may be effective" tolift some particular hook. As shown; each bar I5a of the gridislongitudinally slotted and each hook-lifter stands in a vertical planelying between a row of hooks and the corresponding knife and is formedwith a bent-off portion Ilia. lying terminal being such that when theauxiliary hook lifting structure is fully depressed the correspondinghook (or hooks) may be tilted on support 9 so as not to be raised bysaid structure when it P According to the example, any hook-lifter j maybe shifted along the corresponding bar of rises.

the grid so as to be active to lift a hook (or hooks) at any point inarow of hooks otherwise adapted to be lifted by a given knife; andthereinay be more or less hook-lifters on any bar and it is not to beassumed from the showing of Fig. 2 that there will necessarily behook-lifters only on some of the bars. I

The extent of rise of the auxiliary hook-lifting structure is to begreater than that of the main hook-lifting structure so that the hookslifted by the former will raise the warp' threads controlledtherebyhigher than those raised by hooks lifted by the main hook-liftingstructure. may be accomplished in any way but I prefer to impart thedifferential movement to the auxiliary pivotally connected to theauxiliary hook-lifting structure by a link 19. In'the example a link 20and a bracket 2| fixed on the shaft 5 aiford the 40 connection betweenthe main hook-lifting structure and the lever I8; The pivotsforconnecting link 20 with the lever and bracket are studs 22 eachhaving a shoulder 22a between which and a nut 23 the lever l8 (orbracket 2|) is clamped, the lever being retained on the stud by a nut24; the lever and bracket are slotted, at I8?) and 21b, to receive thestuds which thus may be adjusted to vary the lift of the auxiliaryhook-lifting structure impartedthereto by the main hook-liftingstructure due to the thus described motiontransmitting connectionconnecting them. Of course, when the adjustment is such that the pivotsoccupy the ends of the slots adjoining shaft 5 the lift effected by theauxiliary will be of the same extent as that of the main hook-liftingstructure, so that themachine may be operated.

, as if my improvements were not present.

Parts l8, I9, 20 and '2l will usually be duplicated at the far side ofthe machine.

Suppose a, certain numberof the hooks of the coincident with the liftingaction of theformer,

as by being actuated through the motion-transmitting means described.All the hooks which, by the described pattern mechanism, are dis- 10placed to the left will remain unlifted; of those not so displaced somewill be lifted as far as the V knives are lifted and some higher thanthe knives are lifted according as they are left subject to the lift of.the knives or that of the hook-lifters,

75 wherefore the threads of the Warp controiled'by This these three setsof hooks will form two'sheds, one

at a higher elevation than the other.

Various possibilities in weaving therefore ex-' ist. Suppose it isdesired to weave two fabrics, as

ribbons, in one operation, as shown by Fig. 5,

.main hook-lifting structure and form. the top sheet of shed b and thebottom sheet of shed a;

and those in plane 2 are those whose hooks have been lifted by theauxiliary hook-lifting struc ture. Now since each thread shown in theupper sheet of shed cican only assume a position in either plane ,1: orz becauseit is connected, by a connection such'as l3, withaliookindividual to such thread and itself capable of only assumingpositions spaced correspondingly to planes :2: and z it would-beimpossible to formsheds next succeeding to the existing sheds band 0 (inorder to decussate or cross and so'to weave) without having the new shedto be formed and corresponding to shed c alined with the new shedcorresponding to shed 17, since the only position the threads shown inthe top sheet of shed .0 can next assume in plane :0, or thepositionwhere their hooks are left unlifted. What is necessary in suchcase is to provide for the threads which go to form the shed 0 beingeach shiftable not only to plane 2 but to plane. 1/, which may beaccomplished as follows (it remainingassumed that the threads going toform sheds such as b remain subject to the action of the mainhook-lifting structure and of course to the control, for decussating, ofthe pattern mechanism):

Each thread which goes to form shed 0 may have a flexible connection l3awhich is branched responding hook-lifting structure, so such thread willassume the corresponding plane 11 or 2. In short, each thread is thensubject to the "lifting action of either hook-lifting structure,wherefore on one lifting action of the machine some threads may belifted to plane'y and the remainderito plane z, and on the next liftingaction the former threads may be lifted to plane a and thelatter toplane 1 Thus, decussating, and hence weaving'in the same kind or patternof weaveat the right as at the left of Fig. 5, may be accomplished.

Of course in such a case the warp of the fabric could not include asmany"ends or threads as to Y there are hooks (sinceas to a part of, thewhole complement of hooks each end is served by two hooks) wherefore Ihave devised the construction shown by Fig. 6. Here the hook-lifter 16for any thread has a yoke 22 loosely penetratedby a stiff extension 23of the corresponding hook to which it is preferably pivotally connected,as :shown.

Above the yoke the extension has an adjustable stop as nuts 24, screwedthereon. .When'the hook. is left by the patternmechanismin position forits catching portion 8a to be engaged by the shoulder lGa of thehook-lifter there will be lift,- ing of the thread to its highestposition; when so as to clear the shoulder there will first belost-motion during the rise of the hook-lifter until its yoke engagesthe stop 24, whereupon it will lift the hook to a mean position andhence the 5 thread to plane y. A single hook controls a correspondingthread or end and the connection is like l3, or unbranched. In this casethe warp may contain as many ends or threads as there are hooks in thejacquard. By adjusting stops 1O 24 and the links 20 the extent of liftto the highest or to the mean position may be varied as circumstancesrequire.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. A jacquard machine including supporting means, hooks supportedthereby and adapted to be lifted, hook-lifting structures, and a leverfulcrumed on said supporting means and to which said structures areoperatively connected at different distances from the lever fulcrum andaffording support for one structure on the other, some of said hooksbeing each movable into and out of position to be lifted by one andothers each movable into and out of position to be lifted by the otherof said structures.

2. A jacquard machine including supporting means, hooks supportedthereby and adapted to be lifted, hook-lifting structures, a leverfulcrumed on said supporting means and to which one structure isoperatively connected, pivots on the other structure and said lever, thepivot on the lever being adjustable lengthwise thereof, and a linkconnecting the pivots, said lever, pivots and link affording support forone structure on the other, and some of said hooks being each movableinto and out of position to be lifted by one and others by the other ofsaid structures.

3. A jacquard machine including supporting means, a hook-liftingstructure movable in a given path therein, hooks supported in said meansand having catching portions and each movable into and out of theposition where its catching portion will lie in the path of saidmovement of said structure, and another hook-lifting structure having ashoulder in the path of the firstnamed structure and between the sameand the catching portion of a given hook when the latter is in saidposition, the second-named structure being movable in generally saiddirection through 50 a greater range than the first-named structure.

4. A jacquard machine including supporting means, a hook-liftingstructure movable in a given path therein, hooks supported in said meansand having catching portions and each movable into and out of theposition where its catching portion will lie in the path of saidmovement of said structure, a supporting structure, and a hook-lifterhaving a shoulder and positionable in the latter structure to place saidshoulder in the path of the first-named structure and between the sameand the catching portion of a selected hook when the latter is in saidposition, the second-named structure being movable in generally saiddirection through a greater range than the first-named structure.

5. A jacquard machine including supporting means, hooks supportedthereby and adapted to be lifted, hook-lifting structures movable onethrough a greater range than the other, some of said hooks being eachmovable into and out of position to be lifted by one and others beingeach movable into and out of position to be lifted by the other of saidstructures, and flexible threadlifting cords, each cord being branchedand having one branch connected to one of the firstnamed and the otherbranch connected to one of the second-named hooks.

6. A jacquard machine including supporting means, a lifting structuremovable through a given range and having a lifting shoulder, and athread-lifting device having a catching portion to' be engaged by saidshoulder and said device being movable into and out of position wheresaid catching portion will be so engaged by said shoulder, said devicehaving a stop arranged to be engaged by .said structure during themovement of the latter through said range when said device is out ofsaid position.

'7. A jacquard machine including supporting means, hooks supportedthereby and adapted to be lifted, rectilineally movable hook-liftingstructures, and means, affording support for one structure on the otherstructure, to transmit differential lifting movement from the latterstructure to the former structure when said latter structure is lifted,some of said hooks being each movable into and out of position to belifted by one and others each movable into and out of position to belifted by the other of said structures.

FRANK W. PRESTON.

